


Is This How It Works? (Are We Doing This Right?)

by starsnatched



Series: Fangs On My Neck (Now You're Mine) [5]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Alpha Nakamoto Yuta, Alpha Suh Youngho | Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Character Study, Developing Relationship, He is an omega okay, Identity Issues, M/M, Might add more tags, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Mark Lee (NCT), Relationship Study, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:15:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26299270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsnatched/pseuds/starsnatched
Summary: Yuta leaves a kiss on the ravenet’s hand before following the American out of the cafeteria. Mark speaks up as they watch the alphas leave, “You know, for a couple not courting each other, you sure do act the opposite.”“I know,” The other man groans, finishing his glass in one go before slamming it onto the table. “I know.”
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta, Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: Fangs On My Neck (Now You're Mine) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859527
Comments: 14
Kudos: 203





	Is This How It Works? (Are We Doing This Right?)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this series isn't becoming too long (as I stated before, I still have a *lot* I want to write for this). I wanted more sprinkles of character development and yeah, there's a little surprise; I hope I was able to execute it nicely? I was thinking of adding it for a very long time now but I'm apprehensive that I wasn't able to write it well. 
> 
> Please do tell me your thoughts in the comments! They really help a lot when it comes to the direction of the story :)

Over the next few days, Yuta was always there when the other needed him.

“Do you want me to pick you up for lunch?” The blonde says as they’re both walking to Jaehyun’s first class. Only their fingers are intertwined, because of how self-conscious the taller man is. “Or do you want me to wait in the cafeteria?”

“I can wait outside your classroom,” They both stop outside of the ravenet’s assigned room. The younger man turns to Yuta. “It’s not too far.” 

“Okay,” The Japanese man swiftly brings Jaehyun’s fingers to his lips and kisses it. He lets go and as he’s walking, he waves. “See you later!”

The ravenet waves back, and checks his surroundings to see if anyone saw, then enters his classroom. _I need to have a talk with Yuta hyung_ , The man thinks to himself. _About all this_.

His hand brushes against his neck, longingly, before he settles down and waits for class to begin. 

The bell rings as Jaehyun’s walking down the hallway, and the sound of it makes the man walk faster. He made a promise to be there for Yuta, and he’s not going to break it. 

He tries to look past the people trickling out of a room, and his eyes zero in on a certain mop of blonde hair. The other man is unconsciously pouting, focused as he slowly packs away his things, and it makes Jaehyun’s heart stutter; he can’t stop the little smile growing on his face. The Korean decides to lean against the wall, to patiently wait, but then he yelps when he makes contact with a lump instead.

“Ah, sorry! I wasn’t—” The man steps to the side and turns, and his heart promptly sinks to his feet again. “Mark.”

“Jaehyun hyung,” The brunett’s mouth is open in surprise, but he regains his composure and clears his throat. The shorter rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. “How are you?”

“Good, good,” The Korean clears his throat, feeling skittish. “How are, um, things with Johnny hyung?”

“It’s been good.” Mark breathes out, and the space is filled with awkward silence. They shuffle their feet, walking on eggshells before Jaehyun breaks, “M-Mark, what you saw the other day... I’m so, so sorry. I-I—”

“Hyung!” Jaehyun feels his shoulders being grabbed and when he looks down, the Canadian’s eyes are brimming with fire, until the Canadian realizes what he’s doing. He lets go, blushing. “Um, b-before you say anything else, I actually really respect you!”

“You… what?”

“I mean, I know you were kind of outed but,” Mark says, and his eyes sparkle. They’re actually brimming with tears, but they don’t fall. “B-but I really admire you! Fuck society’s views, am I right?”

“How are you—” The ravenet is staring at him dumbfounded. “How are you so okay with this? Why are you so accepting? I mean, you’re an omega. Shouldn’t you like, I don’t know, get mad because I’m a waste of a knot or something?”

“To be honest, I wasn’t always like this,” Mark scratches his cheek. His eyes dull for a split second, before lighting up again. “I was in your shoes… kinda. I mean, not exactly! But it was still close enough to hit home.”

“I don’t understand.” Jaehyun shakes his head. He knows that omegas still occasionally face bigotry, but at the very least, those issues are addressed— on the other hand, no one really likes to bring up submissive alphas, no one knows what to say about them; they’re rare, and surprisingly, they’re the ones that suffer under the mold and scrutiny of society the most. Someone built up to be successful, to always have their chin held up high, to just… not turn out the way they’re supposed to be? It’s easier to watch someone rise to the top than to fall from it.

“Hyung, believe me. This is gonna sound weird but I guess you can say I’m… really proud of you,” The glittering tears well up in the younger’s eyes again, as if he’s incredibly touched. His scent— vanilla, with a hint of sugar— surrounds the both of them, a calming mechanism; in fact, it’s a little too calming for an omega to have. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” 

“Why?” The alpha wants answers. Jaehyun admits that okay, Mark lifted his spirit a bit. But still, he needs to know. “Why does this matter so much to you? Why the hell aren’t you… disgusted by me?”

“Hyung, I swear I’ll tell you sometime soon. Right now, I can guarantee that Johnny and I support your relationship completely.”

“A-about that,” The taller stutters out. He feels stupid as he says, “We’re not in a relationship. I mean, I’m not sure?”

“But y-you claimed him,” The Canadian says, confused, before his mouth drops in horror. “Don’t tell me you did it without his consent!”

“No, no! He let me! I just,” Jaehyun brings a hand to his face. “We didn’t really make it official, I guess? I-I mean we hang out together but… we’re not exactly courting each other?”

“Oh,” Is the only thing the brunett says. “So it’s a temporary claim?”

“Y-yeah. I mean— well, yeah.”

“And how does that,” Mark leans against the wall beside him, watching as people walk by. “How does that make you feel?”

The Korean man hangs his head, and it was such a simple question. There should be no depth in it, but there is, and he feels empty. And yet, at the same time, he feels incomplete; a puzzle piece is missing. “It—”

“Mark!” A voice in front of him booms, and the ravenet jumps. They both look up and Johnny’s standing there, a wide smile on his face. His eyes immediately shift to look at Jaehyun, and the grin fades. Instead, a worried look passes over his face. “Jaehyun.”

“Johnny hyung.” The younger man clears his throat, feeling very stiff. This is his best friend, and Mark had said that Johnny supports him, but he still can’t stop the insistent pounding of his heart. He’s frozen in fear. 

“And don’t forget me, Yuta,” Said man butts in, pulling the ravenet to his side and wrapping an arm around his waist. Jaehyun is still pliant in his arms, and the blonde growls. “What did you guys say to him?”

“I didn’t say anything! I just—” The Korean man places his hand on top of Yuta’s in an attempt to calm him down. 

“I-it’s okay, hyung,” Jaehyun says, feeling a pang of guilt when he sees how tense both Johnny and Mark are. “I’m okay. I mean, they’re not doing anything bad.”

Yuta doesn’t say anything, just looks to stare into the ravenet’s eyes for confirmation as his cheeks turn a light shade of pink. He looks away as he mumbles, “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” 

The tension between the four of them slowly dissipates, and the eldest among them cuts through it completely, “So, double date?”

“Why are you guys so okay with this?” Jaehyun feels as if he sounds like a broken record at this point, but he can’t help it. Seated beside him, the blonde lets out a grunt of agreement as he chews his rice; he wants to know too.

“Are you tallying this?” Mark looks to Johnny. The taller holds out his phone to show the omega, who nods. “Wow, eight times already.”

“Guys, seriously! Whatever’s going on with us isn’t,” The ravenet says, swallowing. “Isn’t really normal, you know?”

“We’re not really ‘normal’, either,” The American mumbles, but is elbowed by the brunett sitting beside him. “Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t like it! Just that it’s uncommon.”

“What’s uncommon?”

Mark and Johnny share a look, and the younger nods. “Are you sure? You don’t have to if you don’t want to yet,” The Canadian reaches out a hand to squeeze Johnny’s own. The other man sighs, “Okay. Do you want me to tell them or you?”

“I will,” The youngest takes a deep breath, and his eyes shift from Yuta’s to Jaehyun’s. His smile looks apologetic, and there’s an embarrassed glint in his eyes. “I told Jaehyun hyung, actually. I mean, not exactly but—”

“Hyung, you know how I said I wasn’t always like this?” The Korean man nods, at a loss. “What I meant was that… I wasn’t always… an o-omega…”

“What?” 

“I-I wasn’t,” Mark takes a deep breath, and the alpha beside him holds his hand tight. The shorter lets out a long sigh. “I wasn’t born an omega.”

“I w-was actually born as a beta but it just… it wasn’t _me_ , you get me? I m-mean, no offense to betas! I think they’re great but…” The Canadian sighs, and he’s pulled closer by Johnny. He nuzzles the taller brunett, and sighs contentedly. “I’ve only started my transition, but I’ve never been happier.”

“So you—” Jaehyun chokes out, shocked. He hears Yuta beside him gasp. He can only whisper as he continues, “So from the moment we met, you knew that I was a—?”

“Yeah,” The short brunett breathes out, like he was able to finally let something so heavy go. “Yeah.” 

“O-oh my god— If,” Jaehyun whispers. “If I ever invalidated you or Johnny, I’m so, so sorry. Shit, Mark, congratulations! We really appreciate you guys trusting us enough to tell us something so important.”

“And,” the ravenet elbows the alpha beside him, making him yelp in pain. “Yuta wants to apologize for growling at you guys a while ago.”

“What! I did that because I thought you were—” The blonde turns his head to complain, but he sees Jaehyun’s firm gaze paired with a pout; so alphalike, yet not really at the same time, so Yuta backs down. He sinks into his seat, defeated as he grumbles out, “Sorry.”

“W-woah, it’s all good! You guys are cool, really. But…” Mark looks worried. “I know you were going to say it. I know what you were going to say.”

“What was I going to say?” Jaehyun plays dumb, like he has no idea what the omega means even though he can feel himself crumble inside. 

The Canadian whispers into his alpha’s ear, and when he pulls back, Johnny stands up. “Yuta, let’s go.”

“Huh?” The blonde pauses with his spoon hovering outside his mouth. “I’m almost done with my food, so let me just—”

“Finish it later, we should—” The American’s eyes flicker over to look at Jaehyun before going back to silently plead with Yuta. “We should let them talk. C’mon?”

“Oh. _Oh_. Oh, well,” The Japanese man turns to the alpha seated beside him. There’s a hint of worry, and he reaches out to hold the ravenet’s hand. He squeezes it once and lets their fingers lock together just for a brief moment before letting go and standing up. “I needed to talk to Johnny too, anyway.”

Yuta leaves a kiss on the ravenet’s hand before following the American out of the cafeteria. Mark speaks up as they watch the alphas leave, “You know, for a couple not courting each other, you sure do act the opposite.”

“I know,” The other man groans, finishing his glass in one go before slamming it onto the table. “I know.”

“Also,” The shorter continues, picking up the last bits of his rice. “You were going to call yourself a defect.” 

“Did you… think that too?” Jaehyun asks slowly, palms becoming sweaty. He regrets chowing down on his food, because now his stomach is churning. The shame burns his feet and he fidgets as it crawls up his body. He feels himself crumble inside, but his inner alpha refuses to look weak in front of Mark. 

The younger nods, cradling his head with his hand as if it’s too heavy. He pushes away his tray of food, not in the mood to eat either. “We’re not defects.”

“How can you say it so easily?” The older man’s breath is shaky. “I-I don’t want to sound mean, but the both of us? We’re not fucking normal—”

“Hyung, think about it. Who’s saying that we’re not normal? It’s us, isn’t it? We’re the ones telling ourselves that. Us.”

“Yeah, because people are going to think we’re weird,” Jaehyun spits out, bitterness seeping into his words. “We’re disgusting to them.”

“That’s not true! Yeah, we’re not really… like most people. But we’re not any less than them.”

“How do you know?!” The ravenet brings his hands to his head and pulls his hair. “How do you know that my friends aren’t calling me names behind my back right now—?!”

“Hyung, with all due respect, you need to stop thinking like that,” Mark says, and his vanilla scent makes itself known. It covers the Canadian like a blanket, protecting him. “Okay, maybe society can… hold a bit of a standard… Does that mean we have to follow that? We’re just being ourselves, hyung! There’s nothing wrong with that!”

“Then why the fuck do I feel like this?” A growl slips past Jaehyun’s lips. One of his hands slams down onto the lunch table, making the omega jump. “Why do I feel like fucking _shit_?”

“Hyung, I—” The brunett swallows. “I’m not that good at giving advice.”

“Okay.”

“So you don’t even have to follow it.”

“I know.”

“I’m just gonna give it to you straight. You need to accept who you are, all of it. You need to acknowledge the fact that you like alphas. It’s really just a part of you, and that’s okay. It’s easier said than done but it was so worth it,” Mark’s eyes start to water, and a couple of tears slip. “I was there too, y'know? Before, I was just an average beta, but my body kept telling me to reject my true feelings. I wanted to be myself, but at the same time I didn’t want to. A-and it was so painful, hyung. Having my inner... b-beta tell me that becoming an omega is weak? S-so fucking painful.”

“Mark,” The alpha feels guilty as he watches Mark trying to stop the tears. He tries to soften his demeanor, his tone. “I’m so sorry.”

“N-no, it’s okay. I know how it feels,” The younger sniffles, using the sleeves of Johnny’s sweater to cover his eyes, letting the cloth absorb the wetness on his cheeks. “I’m sorry for acting like this. And for suddenly shifting the conversation.”

“No, it’s okay! H-here,” The Korean hands him a tissue. “Johnny might get a little weirded out if his jacket is all damp.”

“Thanks,” Mark lets a shaky smile grace his face as he accepts the tissue and wipes away the tears. “But hyung?”

“Yeah?”

“You need to learn how to love yourself,” The omega says, blowing his nose. “Trust me, if you accept and love yourself, things are going to be so much easier and better. Even if some people can be close-minded… there’s still going to be many others that would accept you for who you are.”

“You think so?” Jaehyun asks, and he feels hopeful. Maybe… maybe Yuta and him… It’s a fucking long shot, but—

“I mean, Johnny _is_ courting me,” The brunett says, smiling at the thought of the American. “And I have you. And our other friends. But most importantly, I have myself. You get what I’m saying?”

“Yeah,” And it rings true. It’s going to be a long and hard journey, but Jaehyun is gathering the bits and pieces; it’s a start. “I think I do, yeah.”

“So you need to be open with Yuta hyung and tell him,” Mark’s voice takes on a teasing tone. “That maybe you wanna try this courting thing with him. Communicate.” 

“F-fuck, no way! That’s just—” The Korean sputters, turning red. “God, I don’t fucking know.”

The brunett clicks his tongue and shrugs. “Hey man, if you know… you know.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re turning red.”

“I’m not!” Jaehyun kicks his feet like a fussy little child. His knee bumps against the table and he hisses, hand coming to grip it. “Fuck—”

“Markie,” Johnny crashes down onto the chair beside the omega. He groans, letting his head loll onto the Canadian’s shoulder. “Did we interrupt your… talk?”

“No. We just finished, actually,” Mark sighs, letting his head lean on the taller as well. Jaehyun feels someone’s hands on his shoulders, and he jumps. “Hey, Yuta hyung. Did your talk go well?”

“Yeah,” Is the only thing the Japanese man says, and he moves to sit next to the ravenet. He slides his tray of food back to him, and he eagerly picks up where he left off. “Eating time!”

“I swear, it felt like I was talking to a kid,” Johnny grunts when the omega beside him lightly slaps his arm. “What? It’s true! He’s the reason why we’re back so quick, he just—”

As Johnny and Mark talk, the two alphas across them are silent. Jaehyun lets his hand slide down from the table, and he tugs on the older’s shirt lightly. When Yuta looks at him, eyes blinking, the ravenet tries to gesture with his head to his hand. The Japanese man doesn’t really get it, but he uses one of his hands to fall out of sight. 

Under the table, Jaehyun slowly and nervously reaches out and their hands brush against each other. The other alpha tenses, and turns to look at him.

“Are you okay?” Yuta asks, voice barely a whisper. He looks nervous, and while he makes no move to hold the younger’s hand, he doesn’t try to put distance between them either. “Are you sure?”

The Korean doesn’t answer him directly, but he ever so slowly interlocks their pinkies. It feels… weird, but he feels a little giddy, too. He holds onto that faint string of happiness, does his best to let his heart take over for once, and doesn’t pull away. 

_This isn’t so bad_ , Jaehyun tells himself as he watches the alpha beside him eat. The ravenet lets his other fingers slide against the older man’s skin. It still feels strange— it still feels wrong, but he's never felt so safe until now when the blonde was always there. He watches how Johnny tucks his omega's hair behind his ear and it makes him feel warm; could that be Yuta and him one day? Deep down, he hopes so. _Yeah, not so bad at all._

**Author's Note:**

> So... Mark and Johnny side story after all this? 
> 
> twitter: @starsnatched


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